This week’s string of letters containing an unknown white powder received by UC Irvine faculty and staff has triggered university police at UCLA to remind the community about how to respond to such an incident.
Five letters have been discovered so far in various departments at UCI since Monday, three received by faculty and two by staff. Lab results have revealed all five substances to be harmless.
A UCI spokesperson said the incidences appear random, though at this time, no conclusions have been made about the sender’s motivations or about any connections between the recipients.
In a notice released to the community on Tuesday, police outlined the common characteristics of what makes a package suspicious and the steps that should be taken to respond to it.
“The best thing to do, if your gut feeling says there’s something wrong here, call the police and leave (the package) alone,” said Officer Luis DeVivero, UCPD crime prevention.
While making no specific response to the incidents, UCPD has tried to raise awareness by making information available through the department Web site, DeVivero said.
There have been no serious incidences of suspicious packages at UCLA in recent years. However, during the anthrax scare of late 2001, early 2002, UCPD received many calls about alarming white powders, said spokeswoman Nancy Greenstein.
Greenstein recalled one call during the scare when someone mistook laundry soap for a chemical agent.
“We’d rather people call us if they feel a little suspicious or insecure,” she said. “That’s why we’re here.”
The U.S. Postal Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have defined some characteristics of suspicious packages as those containing exposed wires, are damaged or dirty, have odd shapes, handwritten notes, or incorrect addresses, according to a police statement.
If a potential threat arises from a suspicious package containing unknown chemicals, the Department of Environment, Health and Safety provides technical support to UCPD.
James Gibson, EHS director, said his department is responsible for determining the nature of an agent. If there is a confirmed risk, EHS may handle the risk in-house, or contact the Los Angeles Fire Department if the risk outweighs EHS resources.
“There’s always a risk of this happening,” Gibson said. “We take all reports seriously and work closely with university police to try and mitigate any risks that might prevent themselves.”
DeVivero’s crime prevention office offers safety workshops that may be requested by groups of students, faculty and staff.
He also recommends that students, faculty and staff all program their cell phones with the UCPD dispatch number, 310-825-1491, and bookmark the UCPD Web site, ucpd.ucla.edu, to check for updates on current campus safety issues.